Mineski took the best that Natus Vincereand Evil Geniuses had to offer and still came up with back to back series wins, helping them secure a spot at the PGL Minor Playoffs this Sunday.

With at least 30 Qualifying Points more already in the bag for the Dota Pro Circuit, Mineski are firmly in second place in this season’s standings, next to Team Liquid, who recently won the Starladder Minor last week.

PGL Open Bucharest Day 2 Recap

After handily taking down VGJ.Thunder in Game 1 of their opening round matchup, Evil Geniuses looked like they would have a relatively easy time advancing to the PGL Minor Playoffs. However, VGJ.Thunder would strike back in Game 2, which forced a decisive third game.

In the series clincher, VGJ.Thunder had Evil Geniuses pinned on their backs for most of the game. However, Liu ‘Sylar’ Jiajun and his team were unable to close things out; 82 minutes later, Evil Geniuses’ stellarhigh ground defense proved too much for VGJ.Thunder to handle as the boys in blue eventually came up with the series win.

In the next series, Mineski’s unconventional lineup which featured a core Vengeful Spirit paid off against Natus Vincere; the hero would prove instrumental in helping them take Games 1 and 3. Although, Daryl Koh ‘iceiceice’ Pei Xian and his Visage deserve some of the credit as well in helping Mineski close out the series.

Anucha ‘Jabz’ Jirawong and his Clockwerk thenmade a strong case for why teams should start banning the hero against Mineski in their series against Evil Geniuses.

In both Games 1 and 2,the position 4 support player made play after play to help Mineski take down Evil Geniuses. However, giving Jabz all of the credit seems unfair, as iceiceice and Kam ‘NaNa’ Boon Seng were excellent as well, especially in Game 2.

While somewhat early, the decisive win against Evil Geniuses help validate the earlier expectations that Mineski would go on to take down any team who would go on to qualify for the PGL Minor Playoffs.

Shades of the TI4 Team DK

Most people will probably remember Team DK for “failing” to live up to expectations; a fourth-place finish at The International 4 was considered a disappointment for such a star-studded lineup. However, despite their shortcomings, Team DK made its mark in the competitive scene with its discipline play and excellent map control, which seems to have carried on in Mineski.

Coincidentally, Mineski’s latest lineup are headlined by former Team DK members in iceiceice and Chai ‘Mushi’ Yee Fung.

Mineski’s ward play and execution were on full display in their series against both of Natus Vincere and Evil Geniuses. Albeit, Natus Vincerewere still able to take a game off of them on the backs of Vladimir ‘RodjER’ Nikogosyan and his Chen, as well as the Vladislav ‘Crystallize’ Krystanek and his Faceless Void.

Either way, Mineski’s performance during their run to securing a spot at the PGL Minor Playoffs were reminiscent of the same team that gave Team Liquid quite the scare last week at the Starladder Minor.

Should Mineski keep this up, they’ll likely receive a direct invite to future Pro Circuit tournaments. This is good news for other Dota 2 teams in Southeast Asia, who all have had a hard time qualifying because of Mineski’s presence in the region.

Which teams do you think will join LGD Gaming and Mineski at the PGL Minor Playoffs? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.

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